135-142

Chapter 135: Ghost in the Shadow

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Frank had never felt so unlucky before.

He was an ambitious man and always wanted to be successful. After working so hard, he finally reached the final stage of his plan but was completely ruined at the most crucial point.

Frank couldn't believe how a person could hold such a power.

When Frank first saw Rhode, he didn't put him in his eyes at all. While he still bothered to investigate on Starlight when it had first established, he didn't think that this man who 'appeared out of nowhere' would pose a threat to him. Still, he was rather surprised when he found out from Clinton about Rhode being a survivor of the floating ship attack who also escaped the assassins sent by the Country of Light.

However, he was only — just surprised — and that was it. He believed that Rhode wouldn't be able to guess the series of events that was going happen.

When Clinton failed to assassinate Rhode, Frank didn't seem to care. On the contrary, he felt happy. After all, Clinton was a traitor — even if his reason was for money, women or authority, betraying one's country was considered something despicable.

Alas, Frank had no idea that he would fall into the same hole as Clinton.

Holy Soul!!

He swore to the Five Dragon Creators that he had never seen Rhode before. Even until now he didn't know why Rhode was hostile to him when they first met. If it wasn't because of that mage who saved him, perhaps he would've already died.

From that moment on, he decided to pay more attention to Rhode and it was also then when he began harboring doubts.

Did he know their plan or not?

But from the information that he gathered so far, it seemed unlikely for that to happen. This situation left Frank in a dilemma. Why did that young man hold a grudge against his mercenary group? Was it purely because of his personality? Or did he discover the Country of Light's plan to kill him? But no matter what the reason was, Frank couldn't afford to let Rhode roam free any longer. That was why he sent his men and that Mage as a backup just in case something unexpected occurred. Since he also received information that the Burning Blade was also nearby, he thought that it would be better if he could kill two birds with one stone.

Frank thought that his plan was foolproof and impossible to break, but reality brutally slapped him on the face and sent him to straight hell.

After sending out his men, Frank waited patiently for the good news. He was certain that they would've successfully wiped out Starlight and Burning Blade. This shocking event would throw the Paphield Region into chaos which he would surely take advantage of. Such a flawless plan... no doubt that the Association would praise him for his conduct. All he had to do was wait for that day to come!

Unfortunately, the 'good news' that Frank was eagerly waiting for was the news of his subordinates' death. Even the Mage wasn't spared.

It was just like a man who got drunk and had sex with a woman. But after waking up the next morning, he immediately found out that the woman he slept with was incredibly hideous. Such was a tragedy.

That wasn't all; Frank also received a hint of the Association's displeasure. While they hadn't issued a new official order to him yet, he was certain that even if he could survive their wrath, he wouldn't be sought after anymore.

However, he wasn't willing to give up just like that. Even until now he still couldn't fathom how Rhode managed to figure out his plan. It was a total mystery; it did appear that Rhode held a deep grudge towards him, but other than the provocation in front of the Mercenary Association, Rhode hadn't taken the initiative to cause trouble for them. Wasn't that strange? His way of taking revenge was too much!

Frank didn't linger on that thought much longer. At this point, whether Rhode knew his plan or not wasn't important. Since he had already killed that Mage, the result was clear as day. He must figure out a way to kill that young man and destroy his mercenary group. After that, he would think of another way to disrupt the Paphield Region. Frank believed that if he succeeded, he would be able to 'atone for his mistake and even if the association felt displeased about his initial performance, at least he would've some results to leverage on.

Frank suddenly felt motivated; for the sake of this glimmer of hope, he was willing to do anything.

He was now standing inside a deep cave. Then he frowned and stared at his subordinates with a gloomy expression.

They were in a spacious mining shaft. From the rusty tools, corroded wooden planks and a few charred minecarts, it was clear that this mine had been long abandoned. But compared to other similar mine shafts, there was a layer of white fog lingering in the air.

It was an odd phenomenon; why would there be white fog deep in a mining shaft?

Frank totally disregarded it and brought his men deeper inside. When the thin, white fog drifted past the men, it made them feel burning hot...

Hot?

The torch lit up the darkness. But other than the light from the fire, there was something in the darkness peeping at the men.

Frank suddenly felt his body burning. The blood inside his body began to speed up as his heart beat incredibly faster. It was as though something was calling out to them inside the deep mining shaft...

And it was indeed so.

After turning around a corner, the men discovered a wide and tall cavern filled with white fog. When they surveyed the cave, they found a beautiful statue near a wall. This exquisitely crafted statue clearly was out of place — it was something that one wouldn't expect to find deep inside one of the mining tunnels. And anyone who lay their gaze on it would feel a chill down their spine as if there was a strong evil aura staring into their soul.

Frank walked forward.

As if responding to his movement, the thick fog split into two, revealing a path to a ladder and something... stranger.

A circular stone fountain.

Towering in the middle of the fountain was a ferocious beast with a pair of wings. A clear stream of water trickled down from its opened mouth into the basin. But what was odd was that the water produced no sound when it dripped down, instead, a wisp of white fog emitted from the basin whenever the water touched the stone floor.

Frank didn't appear to be surprised. His whole year had been a living hell for him, but that didn't mean that he sat down and twiddled his thumbs doing nothing but sulk. When was scouring the underground cave, he coincidentally found out this secret place.

He walked towards the fountain slowly and bowed his head. Then, he stretched his head to touch the clear water and drank it.

At the same time, he began to feel some kind of power burning inside his body — just like a volcano that was about to erupt.

Frank shut his mouth tight and clenched his teeth. The powerful force spread throughout his body, and when he couldn't bear it any longer, a deep roar escaped from his throat.

"Kekekeke..."

It felt as if something was hammering his head. Frank bent his waist and appeared to dip his head into the water. However, he managed to stop and slowly straightened his body.

When he turned around, Frank returned to his usual cold self.

"It's done, now it's your turn."

He said to the mercenaries behind him.

Suddenly, a trace of red flashed in his irises.

No one answered him.

No one asked anything. They behaved like souless puppets. The mercenaries followed Frank's order unconditionally and queued before the fountain.

Each mercenary extended their tongue and licked the clear water.

At this moment, the mercenaries who drank the water repeated the same roar as Frank, and a similar red light appeared in their eyes.

"Yes, just like this..."

Frank smiled coldly as he stared at the mercenaries before him. He clenched his fists and felt an immense power surging inside his body.

"I will not fail this time."

Chapter 136: Triggering Missions

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

It was never a difficult task for Rhode to find members of the Jade Tears Mercenary Group. He carefully followed the trail left behind by them. As for him being all alone in the tunnel, it wasn't anything new to him. Rhode had tracked countless of times and his current situation brought back many of his old memories.

It was not long after the Starlight Guild was formed when Rhode offended a powerful player guild of that time. Rhode had killed many of their players, thus it was natural that Rhode was on their most wanted list. Eventually, that player guild mustered almost all of their strength and manpower to trap Rhode within the tunnels to try and capture him.

However, in the end they did not succeed. Over a hundred elite players were separated as Rhode cunningly led them into his own scheme. In the end, the guild lost more than half of its members and had no choice but to retreat in shame. Of course, he wouldn't let them go that easily. Once Rhode went back to the surface, his newly formed Starlight Guild crippled the player guild and forced them to disband.

As he made his way along this desolate mining tunnel, it brought back some nostalgic feelings to Rhode, as if he was facing that player guild once again.The "nostalgic" feeling didn't linger for too long. As he made progress in the tunnels, his expression turned solemn.

It wasn't because he lost his way, but rather he realized that the direction that those men were heading towards was all but too familiar.

Returning to the old place was definitely not a good sign.

"Could it be that these guys..."

Rhode frowned as he squatted down at a corner of the mining tunnel. He examined the footprints on the ground and shifted his gaze to the front. The light from the torches seemed to be getting dimmer as it melded into the darkness ahead of him. However, Rhode was still able to sense the dangerous atmosphere hidden within the darkness.

Rhode held his breath and he gripped his Crimson Blade as he quietly followed the path ahead of him.

Soon enough, he spotted a mercenary guarding the mine road entrance.Rhode remembered that he had seen this mercenary before. He was one of those men that was led by that idiot during the fight in front of the Mercenary Association. He should be glad that he had luck on his side that day; otherwise, he wouldn't have lived until now.

The mercenary was wearing an old leather armor, leaning slightly on the wall while looking at his surroundings sluggishly, seemingly with no sense of caution at all.

"Let's see if he is just as I observed."

Thinking of this, Rhode stepped forward.

Just as the torch flickered and the shadows briefly engulfed the entrance, Rhode pressed his body softly on the wall and quietly sneaked in. The cloak that Rhode was wearing could camouflage itself to its surroundings by distorting and refracting light. It was more than enough to hide Rhode's body. Not to mention that he was also borrowing the element of darkness and the big boulders from the environment to conceal himself as he slowly crept towards the mercenary.

This cloak that Rhode received in the Rock of Lament was finally put to good use.The mercenary did not notice Rhode. His eyes were only scanning around lazily without any intention of spotting an intruder. Well, it wasn't as if he could be blamed. Even those highly trained knights had times when they lost focus, not to mention these lazy bums.

"Now!"

Just as the mercenary lazily drooped his head, Rhode struck out!

Rhode removed his cloak with one hand and leaped into the air as he swung the Burning Blade in a downward arc, straight towards the mercenary's skull.

Facing Rhode's sudden attack, the mercenary hastily raised his head and took a large step backward while quickly unsheathing his dagger and swinging it upwards with the intention of creating distance between him and the unknown attacker.

His reaction was indeed fast!

But Rhode was way faster.

The mercenary was merely able to move his head and didn't even have the time to open his mouth when the Crimson Blade pierced through his skull. His body smashed against the wall, and his dagger was flung to a side. Before it hit the ground, Rhode dashed and grabbed it before shamelessly storing it.

The mercenary's corpse slid down along the wall like a tattered balloon. His eyes were still wide open, maintaining the shocked expression during the surprise attack. Fresh blood slowly oozed out from his eyes, forehead, and nose.

When Rhode pulled out his sword from the mercenary's skull, his face changed slightly and pierced the corpse as quick as lightning.

"—!!"

This time, the corpse started to vibrate vigorously, and at the same time, there were snake-like movements underneath the skin as if there were dozens of vile snakes slithering. Many marks started to exudate from the corpse with shock and agitation. Rhode clenched his teeth together as he continued pinning the corpse against the wall. After a while, the corpse slowly returned to its peaceful state and Rhode finally let out a breath of relief. Rhode then began to withdraw his sword from the body again. This time, however, instead of the usual red human blood, disgusting green slimy fluid seeped out of the wound.

Rhode frowned as he observed the blood stains on his sword.

This meant trouble.

In fact, Rhode did not drop his guard even after he hacked his sword into the mercenary's skull. One major reason was that he did not receive any experience points in his system prompt. Just this abnormally itself warned Rhode to remain vigilant. Although this was the reality, Rhode knew that as long he killed anything, he would receive experience points regardless whether they are monsters, alchemy creatures, or humans.

And previously, after he made a move that would have killed the mercenary, Rhode did not receive any prompt which could only mean that the man wasn't dead!

But based on the situation, this shouldn't have happened..?

Rhode's expression turned gloomy at this though. He considered himself to be a "walking library" since he was once the best player in the game, so he knew what was coming up as much as he refused to believe it. Only one factor could lead to this situation. Within this mining tunnel, only that goddamn mission would carry such an unusual feature.

And this was the mission that he was most unwilling to even touch.

"This is big trouble...."

Rhode let out a low sigh as he sliced open the corpse's clothes with his sword. Underneath the skin of the body were disturbing, deep scars that were squeezed to form a shape of a roaring mouth.

"Ding—!"

At this moment, suddenly a crisp voice sounded in Rhode's brain, followed by a prompt that appeared before him.

[You have discovered an evil being. They breathe darkness and are struggling within the shadows, trying to return to this world — Mission triggered <<Demon's Whisper>>]

Rhode was dumbfounded.

Ever since he came to this world, this was the first time he received a mission via the system prompt. Originally, Rhode thought that the system missions did not exist in this world. Previously, he led his mercenary group to complete so many tasks, but the system had never displayed any prompts like [You have received this mission] or [You have completed this mission]. This was why Rhode thought that this world and the game had distinct differences — But what does this even mean? He had already decided to assume that there were indeed differences between game and reality, but what was this? It was as if the system just wanted to mess with him.

However, Rhode didn't feel pissed. He was actually very familiar with <<Demon's Whisper>>. This wasn't a mission that he could receive from an NPC, but could only be triggered by a series of coincidences. Of course, one would not be able to receive any rewards or equipment from any NPC after completing, but rather, one would be able to receive special rewards such as dynamic skills, experience points or even skill points. So far, as it seems, the system did not change anything related to the rewards. After opening the <<Demon's Whisper>> mission, Rhode saw that the rewards are identical to what he remembered from the game. Completion of this mission will allocate 5000 experience points, 3 skill points and an undisclosed special random reward to Rhode.

Is this a game or reality?

Rhode felt confused and irritated.

As a player, naturally, he had completed this mission. Therefore, Rhode obviously knew how troublesome this mission was. As a matter of fact, there was a point where he just wanted to drop everything and just escape to the surface. Although he accepted this mission, he could choose not to finish it. At most, he could just cancel this mission since there was no penalty for canceling missions.But Rhode couldn't do it.

If it was really the Jade Tears Mercenary Group who caused the activation of <<Demon's Whisper>>, then this spells catastrophe for the Starlight Mercenary Group and Deep Stone City. Considering his relationship with Jade Tears Mercenary Group, Rhode doesn't believe that those guys would be kind-hearted enough to not put himself and the Starlight Mercenary Group in their number one rank of their "to destroy" list.

A dangerous bud must be nipped before it was allowed to grow.

Once the <<Demon's Whisper>> advances into its next phase <<Demon's Temptation>> or <<Demon's Havoc>>, then it would be too late for regrets.

Once he made his decision, Rhode stretched out his right hand.

Almost immediately, a white card spun and appeared on his palm.

Chapter 137: Mission Begins!

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Celia stood before Rhode. Her usual cold and expressionless face was nowhere to be seen. Instead, this time, her face was filled with fury and anger. Rhode folded his arms as he stared at his own summoned spirit — And before he could give her any instructions, she immediately drew her sword in an arc and sliced the mercenary's corpse. Holy silver flames flared as it burned the poor bastard's corpse into nothingness.

Although the holy flame was powerful, it produced no smoke nor ashes in its wake. This could be considered an extremely environmentally friendly product...

"I haven't even told you to do anything yet?"

"I'm very sorry, Master."

Celia tilted her head down slightly, both of her hands were still gripping onto her sword tightly."I sensed a malicious presence and I couldn't stand it any longer, so..."

"... Forget it."

Rhode waved his hand and stopped Celia's apology. He wasn't affected by her action at all.

"Do you feel confident facing these things?"

After hearing Rhode's question, Celia went silent for a moment. Afterwards, her expression gradually sank and a conflicted expression appeared on her face.

"Regarding this... Master, I am... sorry. I'm unsure..."

"..."

Rhode stared helplessly at Celia, unsure of how to continue.

And, at this moment, a crisp laughter could be heard.

"Huhuhu... Seems like Master is in trouble, maybe I could help?"

"Gillian?"

Hearing her voice, Rhode frowned slightly and felt surprised.

"Why did you appear? I did not..."

"You are just merely unable to summon me, but this doesn't mean that I am unable to communicate with you. Master, did you forget? I am a core card. As long as I want to, I can communicate with you anytime. Yes... This is the same logic as making friends online with video call. We can see and hear each other, but if you want to do something to me then I'm sorry..."

"That's enough. I am not going to discuss this with you now."

Realizing that Gillian was purposely trying to go off topic, Rhode quickly tried to steer it back to the main issue at hand. He didn't specifically try to find out information about core cards because most of the special features basically have no much use — After all, a game is just a game and Artificial Intelligence is just AI, especially the AI of such core cards. It was rare enough to even for them to speak to their master.

Generally, only when players got into missions which involves a deck of cards, or somehow manage to kill some special creature and fulfill certain conditions, the core cards would only then appear and remind players that there is something worthy of his or her concern. For Gillian to go off topic on her own accord was indeed rare.

"Don't tell me this mission is related to you..."

Rhode frowned and asked. It couldn't be helped for him to have such thoughts, after all, this was the first mission he received in this world. Gillian, who had always been in silent, suddenly communicated with him on her own accord. This was a very weird event. Moreover, considering what Gillian said previously, it implied that she knew what was this whole game system was about. Rhode couldn't help but suspect if this was all part of the plan by this summoned spirit.

"Although I can very well understand Master's thoughts, but I am really sorry, you should be very clear on the triggering of random tasks. This isn't my doing. Well... you can think of me this way — An in-game assistant! You see, every time you receive a mission, the assistant will always intimately inform you of important details and data. Now this responsibility has fallen to me!~"

Gillian was determined and oddly excited, it seemed like she liked being an assistant. As if this job comes with a lot of future prospects.

"Well... okay then."

Rhode nodded helplessly. He still felt that this blabbering summoned spirit was unreliable. But at this point of time, he needed her assistance.

"I wish to know the danger level of this mission in relative to our combat power, and also, how many people are in there."

After listening to Rhode's questions, Gillian went silent for a moment as if in contemplation and then almost immediately replied afterwards: "Yellow Alert Level 3! As for the amount of people... I'm sorry, Master. I am not a radar. Such a cheating ability, I do not have it~"

"Only level 3?"

Upon hearing Gillian's quick yet cheeky reply, Rhode felt that something wasn't right. Missions with yellow alert meant that the difficulty wasn't very high. This level of danger might pose some difficulty to solo players, but with a 2 or 3 man party, it would be a walk in the park. Rhode could remember clearly that when he was level 35, this mission was blaring bright red warnings in his face which represents the highest danger level.

Realizing the change in Rhode's expression, Gillian giggled.

"At that time, that was a game, whereas this is reality, Master. Times have changed~"

An AI assistant... discussing with me about reality and fantasy? That sounds absurd in itself.

Rhode kept his thoughts to himself and stopped speaking to Gillian. He then turned over to look at Celia. This angelic girl had returned to her usual cold attitude, and seemed to be oblivious to the discussion between Gillian and Rhode. However, he couldn't blame her. Maybe this ought to be the normal reaction.

"Follow me. I have a plan."

Rhode gestured towards Celia. He decided to give the mission a shot as he had enough confidence in himself. He didn't feel that Gillian would lie to him on purpose, and this random mission was indeed triggered by him, which meant that it could be accomplished within his abilities. Moreover, Gillian also reminded him that he was very clear of the triggering of random tasks.

The mercenaries dragged their feet, walking out unsteadily from the mining tunnel.

Something was amiss about them this time. At this moment, the mercenaries seemed as if they had finished some heavy lifting. They were panting profusely and their footsteps appeared to be unstable. If these mercenaries weren't men, others might even misunderstand them to have done something unspeakable inside.

Frank led the group with heavy steps as if his body was inflicted with paralysis. This sensation was enough to make someone go crazy. It was as though countless of worms were squirming in their blood vessels and could not do anything to relieve the pain. A few mercenaries who could not bear the pain dug their fingernails into their own skin and ripped it out. Muscles and bones weren't spared either and some even grabbed their heads in agony as they screamed to their death.

Frank was very clear on this. As long he could withstand this torment, he would be able to receive boundless power. His current strength was already 2 times stronger than before. Frank had absolute confidence, whether it was Rhode, Sereck or the mercenary group leaders of the two most powerful mercenary groups, he had the confidence to dominate them with this power.

Frank grit his teeth and forced himself forward as he muttered under his breath, "Damn bastards! Just wait till then, I will show you what is REAL pain."

Rhode's image flashed through his mind. He smirked as he imagined the expression of despair on Rhode's face once he had thoroughly humiliated him with his power. Didn't that guy look like a woman? I will get some men to gang-rape him, and at that time, I will see if he is still able to smile!

Frank could feel a pleasurable sensation spreading throughout his body as he maintained his malicious thoughts. Even the painful sensation seemed to have lessened.

He smiled coldly and gazed at his front. Then his expression swiftly changed.

There was no one there.

"Where is he?"

Frank frowned as he scanned the entrance. He couldn't find the sentry that he sent to guard this place.

Maybe that bastard went off slacking?

"Dag!?"

When Frank screamed the sentry's name, it startled the mercenaries behind him and they stopped their steps. They lifted their heads slowly, but there were no signs of self-consciousness in their eyes. Their eyes were totally devoid of any life as if their spirits had already left their bodies.

Frank's voice echoed throughout the tunnel, but no response could be heard. Only deafening silence.

"Go search around!"

Frank started to feel like things were amiss after not getting any response. He turned around and gave a hand signal to his mercenaries. The mercenaries drew their weapons and ran, searching every corner. They weren't afraid of getting lost within the mines as they seemed to have obtained an ability after drinking the weird spring water. The ability gave them the knowledge of the entire terrain, even more so than those who worked here all their lives.

Looking at his men frantically searching for the missing sentry, Frank leaned against the wall and gaze coldly into the pitch black tunnel. He unknowingly clenched both of his fists as a bout of uncertainty and danger slowly flooded his thoughts.

What the hell is happening?

Why did my sentry disappear?

Could it be a dangerous underground creature? No, there shouldn't be any here.

Could it be that someone attacked him?

But no one else knows that they were here. Frank felt that he had been diligent enough in keeping this secret, moreover, his mercenaries were like him, no longer worthless trash. Their abilities could be as strong as those elite members, so how was it possible that he could have been murdered and not give any response or distress call?

"Ahh—!"

Just as Frank was evaluating this peculiar case, a shriek echoed from deep within the tunnel.

What happened!?

Frank was startled as his eyes suddenly turned bright red. He drew his weapon and approached the tunnel, moving towards the sound of the scream.

Chapter 138: Defeat Them All

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Frank and his men reached the 'crime scene' at the same time.

Calling it a 'crime scene' wasn't entirely appropriate either as nobody noticed any corpses or traces of battles along the way. There was nothing at all!

It was unnerving.

Nobody believed that the loud scream was an illusion. After a quick headcount, they confirmed that they were short of 1 person.

With such a obvious outcome, something must be wrong with Frank if he didn't realize the problem by now.

"Continue to find him."

He didn't have any intention to give up that easily. Instead, lifted up his arm and clenched his fist in the air.

"Form groups of three. If there's any attack, report to me immediately!"

None of them defied his orders. They nodded and spread out to search for traces of their comrade.

However, no one noticed that inside in the tunnel, Rhode was quietly hiding and peeking out within a crevice that looked like a gap in an alley and attentively catching on to every movement.

"Hmm, it seems like these guys aren't too bad."

Rhode silently nodded to himself. Once the mercenaries scattered, he carefully slipped out from between the gap.

"This style of battling is meaningless, Master."

Celia followed closely behind Rhode and gave her view of the situation with a serious expression.

"Such a sneaky victory will not bring us a glory!"

"So, what do you suggest then?" Rhode spoke without looking back as he leaned on the wall attentively, scanning both directions to ensure no one was around.

"We should fight them face to face with dignity!"

Celia held up her sword in front of her with both of her hands, maintaining the staunch, yet somehow saintlike demeanour.

"What? Are you stupid?"

The one who answered Celia wasn't Rhode, but it was Gillian instead.

"Haven't you realized that these guys are abnormal?" Gillian continued.

"Master's strength is far below them. Only when we take such approaches then we can achieve victory and accomplish the mission! Will you take responsibility if we end up being surrounded by them after engaging them face to face? Can you please use your brain? Or did all the nutrients end up in that chest and wings of yours. It is fine if you fall in battle because you can revive, but if something irreversible occured to Master, what do you intend to do?"

Celia's expression changed after listening to Gillian's counter.

"This... I will not let this happen!! I will give my all for my Master!"

"Hmph, if the world can be conquered by your words alone, then I can help master conquer the entire universe." The cheeky female voice echoed in Celia's head once again, giving her no chance of a comeback.

"As long you give your best? — Okay, okay little bird with wings, now is not the time to fill your head with your own distorted knighthood view of willpower. Focusing on the battle is your duty. Remember that you are a summoned spirit. Live up to it, just like those dogs who stick with their owners till death! Don't mess up this situation, stupid!"

Celia remain silent as she knew deep down that Gillian was right, albeit her being slightly disrespectful with her words. However, even if she wanted to rebut, she couldn't because Gillian's rank was much higher than hers! Unlike Gillian, Celia was only a normal battle angel, whereas Gillian was an elemental lord. Although the both of them did not belong to the same deck, this hierarchical relationship was distinct.

Celia remained quiet as she gripped onto her sword, following behind Rhode without a word. To act as an assassin who sneakily hid in the darkness wasn't her forte when she was a knight that often battled face-to-face.

Soon enough, Rhode spotted his target.

Three mercenaries were walking slowly in the tunnel with burning torches in their hand, carefully scanning the surroundings as if they were looking for something. None of the mercenaries seemed to be shouting for their comrade's name, therefore it was quite clear that the notion was meaningless, and that the missing comrade did not mean much to them. They were more concerned about their own safety — If not they wouldn't have left their homes to become a mercenary for money.

At this moment, the three mercenaries were focusing their attention on the front and their immediate sides. Rhode, who was behind them, closed the distance between them rapidly.

1 step... 2 steps... 3 steps...

Rhode matched the pace of his steps with that of the men's footsteps. Once the time was right, Rhode stood up from his crouched stance and gestured towards Celia with a hand signal. Although she was dissatisfied with his choice of engagement, she was indubitably still very dedicated to him. After spotting his hand signal, Celia did not hold anything back as she spread out her wings in a split second. She raised her sword high and flew towards the three poor souls.

The sound of the air splitting from her wings immediately attracted the three mercenaries. They swiftly spun around and could only gasp in horror.

Upon receiving their commands from Frank, the three mercenaries had mentally prepared themselves to meet creatures that lived in the darkness. However, never would they had imagined they would encounter an armoured, holy angel flying towards them with a sword in her hands. The holy aura from her wings exploded with white light as she left a trail of snow-like feathers floating down behind her, causing them to fall into a dreamy illusion.

The three mercenaries truly believed that they were in a dream.

This isn't the surface. Why is there an angel here?

Before they could receive an answer, Celia swung her sword in a clean line and created an inferno of silver-whitish flame in her wake, filling the path with holy flames.

Actually, the holy flames weren't actually glaring, it could be said that it seemed gentle and soothing. However, it was a totally different feeling after the flames broke out. In a split second, the three mercenaries felt as if they were gazing at the sun. All they could see was pure, deafening whiteness. That wasn't the end, while the sacred flames burned within them, it unconsciously dragged out their deepest intrinsic desire for anger and hatred.

As the holy flames swept past the mercenaries, it did not cause much physical damage to them. Their skin was scorched badly, but they were still able to grit their teeth and unsheath their weapons.

Although they were still blinded by the flames, they were incomparable to their previous strength. They had powers that could guarantee to protect themselves from sneak attacks even though they could not see.

The mercenaries adopted a defensive posture as they expected the angel to follow up with an attack. But contrary to their expectation, she merely landed and retreated.

Before she landed, Rhode had already appeared from the shadows.

With his sword in his right hand, he gazed straight at his target. He lifted up his left hand and placed it on the blade of the sword. Rhode then pulled his sword to the right, drawing fresh blood that coated the blade. Once the Crimson Blade absorbed the blood, it started to shine magnificently.

Rhode lowered his body and sprung into the air with his sword, his stance poised beautifully in the air, like an immemorial painting. Once his sword reached its peak, he swung down with all his might, drawing a perfect glowing arc that flew out from the Crimson Blade.

The man and the angel's switch between offense and defense were incredibly well timed. While he was in the air and ready to strike, Celia was in the front. When he unleashed his sword attack, Celia perfectly matched the timing and sidestepped backward, allowing the glowing arc to fly mere inches above her head, toward the enemies.

The three mercenaries totally didn't anticipate this.

When they laid eyes on Celia, they started charging towards her. But they didn't expect that their own actions brought them closer to death.

The glowing, bloody red arc came crashing down as it caught them by surprise, however, they did not succumb to panic nor fear, but instead, they revealed ferocious smiles on their faces.

The three mercenaries roared and raised their weapons.

Dark smoke-like energy erupted from their body, engulfing their entire being as if they were lit on fire. Accompanied by this enigmatic flame, the temperature dipped drastically and started to release a putrid smell.

The dark flames enveloped their weapons as they clashed with Rhode's attack.

Bam!

The impact of the collision resounded in the narrow tunnel. The sand, stones and boulders all started falling and vibrating.

It was at this moment when their ferocious smile on their faces turned into one of indescribable fear.

They were confident that their own power could easily stop the enemy's attack. But, everything changed after they experienced Rhode's attack.

Who says that we are trash? We don't give a damn about such weak attacks!

This notion only lasted in their mind for merely a second. When they finally realized that this arc of Rhode did not disappear after the collision, it was too late.

When the glowing arc collided with the black flames, it suddenly split and formed dozens of small blades. These small blades then quickly spun around the mercenaries, condensing into a strong whirlwind while trapping them within a sea of blades. The sharp blades easily sliced their flesh, leaving them with open wounds.

That wasn't all, now it was Celia's turn to strike!

The battle angel was totally impervious to the whirlwind. She raised her sword and flew directly in front of the mercenaries. She swung her sword, cleaving one poor mercenary in half as the sacred flames burnt his body into nothingness.

The other two tried to escape, but Celia wouldn't allow that to happen. She gripped her sword and gathered the sacred flame at the tip of her sword. Then she swung her sword sideways, causing both of the mercenaries to be completely consumed by the sacred flames. Not long after, they finally breathed their last as they lay on the ground without any movement.

"Master, there are people coming from the front, left and back! The one behind is the nearest, the one on the left is the furthest!" Gillian's cheeky voice once again echoed inside Rhode's ears from behind.

He nodded with satisfaction and immediately beckoned to Celia with his left hand. Both of them quickly disappeared into the darkness, leaving no traces behind.

The true battle had yet to unfold.

Chapter 139: Frank's Countermeasures

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Without a doubt, Gillian, the in-game assistant was pretty useful. Although she was unable to display her powers, at least she was still able to assist in other ways. She could observe his environments and would lessen Rhode's burden.

Of course. This was only limited to the immediate surroundings. There was no way for her to see or hear a thousand miles.

For Gillian, this was more than enough. She wasn't a human, however, her senses were much better than a human. In this narrow and dark tunnel, she could easily detect the enemy distance, direction, speed and quantity with her ability.

Rhode was unable to do this himself, of course. But his ability to focus was top notch. Although his actions were fast, each movement he made all contained his elaborate planning and preparation.

<<Demon's Whisper>>. This particular mission was always triggered by players unknowingly. When they explored the underground mine, the players would randomly meet a crazy, and aggressive shorty. After killing him, the player would then detect some abnormality within the corpse, triggering a mission. Players would then bring these abnormal pieces of information back to the surface. After speaking to various mine workers, churches, and the Mercenary Association, they would discover a secret.

Deep within the mines, there was a shaft that led directly to hell. This ancient shaft was situated there eons ago, long before the Deep Stone City was built. Because of the shaft, the entire terrain around the mines became a haven for demons and devils, who attracted humans inside. In the end, justice eventually triumphs over evil and the shaft was re-sealed.

However, the evil ritual sites within did not disappear after the sealing of the shaft. Many years later, some greedy humans were naturally attracted to the ores within the mines and had long forsaken the warnings in the legends. They raised their excavating tools and dug into the sealed shaft. That shorty was one of those workers. He accidentally managed to discover the evil ritual site and drank the unholy spring water.

Once humans drank the water, they would obtain a boost in their strength, but that would fade as time passed. When that happens, it would cause an irresistible urge to drink it again to maintain their strength. It was quite similar to drug addiction, one could never give up the lust for power once one experiences it. Losing the power would be unbearable for them.

After the mission was activated, the Mercenary Association in Deep Stone City would collaborate to form a strong investigation team to locate and seal the place once again.

From then on, the mission had a time limit. If the players were able to destroy the site within the time limit, then they would be awarded generously with plenty of experience points, rewards and equipment. However, if they failed to complete it, the consequence would be disastrous.

A third of the people living underneath Deep Stone City would be lured by the shorty to taste the power of the spring water and they would transform into frightening devils soon after. These people would receive the Demon Lord's beckon and proceed on to unseal the shaft. The investigation party and the players would be the targets of these devils.

Within the narrow tunnels, countless of demonic creatures would overwhelm their prey. At this point, the investigation party and the players could still work together to destroy these creatures. If they were unable to succeed, the mission would then move on to its 'third' phase. The investigation team would be completely wiped out and the demonic beings would proceed on to the surface, occupying the whole of Deep Stone city.

The mission was ignored by many players because the time limit was a hidden factor. Many players received a notice saying: "Finish this mission quickly, if not there will be undesirable consequences." As this was 'just another mission' to many players who had already played countless of other similar games, there were few who took this warning seriously.

Furthermore, during investigations, there were many troublesome sub-missions that seemed like a waste of time. Therefore, many players gave up after noticing the amount of effort required to complete it. They would rather use this time to gain some levels. Why would they coop themselves in such a creepy place?

Fortunately it was just a game. Players who died could be resurrected. If it was reality, who knew how many courageous men would had lost their lives to complete this mission.

Rhode was able to complete this mission due to luck. After finishing the mission 'Demonic Shadows of the Haunted House', he had been prompted on other hidden missions. And also at that time, he did not know why players ignored this mission.

The demons went on a rampage on the surface and killed humans in Deep Stone City. Not long after, the matter was escalated to such a high level that it sparked off retaliation from Golden City. As Rhode got caught in the middle of this incident, he became curious and decided to participate. Eventually, he accomplished the mission successfully.

That was why Rhode was very clear of this situation. These mercenaries that were under the "buff" from the unholy spring water should be roughly around level 20. Their current innate element would be demonic. Thus, Celia a pure battle angel, who had the holy element would weaken them significantly. That was why Rhode chose this battle strategy: Firstly, command Celia to weaken enemies through a sneak attack and he will keep them busy with his own sword skills. Secondly, Celia would take advantage of the opportunity to follow up with an attack. Although she faced the risk of getting hit by Rhode's sword attack, ultimately she was still a summoned spirit which could be re-summoned again using spiritual energy.

Those mercenaries definitely don't take death as easily as Celia because they only have one life.

Rhode's timing was perfect.

Once Rhode and Celia retreated into the darkness, the other mercenaries rushed over to the scene, their eyes red with fury. It was obvious that they were filled with hatred. All of them emitted a murderous intent, coupled together with the pain in their bodies and the pressure of the baffling deaths of their comrades transformed into hatred. They couldn't wait to find the culprits and teach them a lesson.

However, reality was cruel. What they could only recognize were the aftermath of the battle. The ceiling of the tunnel was falling apart, but there were nothing left of their fallen comrades.

The mercenaries yelled in anger and fear. How could they even fight a battle if they couldn't even find any traces of the murderer? Should they leave this place and come back later?

As for revenge for their fallen comrades? They were barely acquaintances. Even remembering their name was considered to be good enough.

Thus, at this critical juncture, it was better to rely on oneself.

After a while, some of the mercenaries that had managed calmed down slightly suggested to leave the place.

However, Frank rejected this suggestion.

Frank had his own thoughts about the situation. It seemed as if this mysterious assailant wasn't as strong as he thought. Only during a one on one situation would this assailant be able to finish them off cleanly. But against three enemies, the assailant evidently could not do it in total silence. This meant that his ability was limited.

"Oh? Seemed like they aren't that dumb." Rhode's eyes widened slightly when he saw five fully armored mercenaries joining in the search.

Frank's response to the situation was simple. He merely changed from a three-man team to a five-man team. That was all.

However, this spelled trouble for Rhode.

Rhode's goal was not to just kill these bastards — If it was only this, he wouldn't even need Celia's help. He could do it himself. However what Rhode wanted to accomplish is to "Kill these enemies swiftly and cleanly in the shortest time."

In order to do this, he couldn't do it alone.

These five men did not exceed Rhode's expectations. Of course. He could kill them without any problem. However, he could not guarantee that he could kill them off cleanly and leave without triggering suspicions.

Even if Rhode decided to separate them using certain means, these five mercenaries were "intimately" sticking really closely to each other. Rhode suspected that their initial response towards an attack was to avoid confrontation and back off to call for reinforcements. If that happened, his plans would be voided.

Concealment was Rhode's top priority. Although the psychological pressure on these mercenaries was at its peak because they did not know the amount nor species of enemies they were facing, the unknown would always be the largest source of fear. The less they knew, the better for Rhode. But once Rhode reveals himself, all the mysteriousness he built up since the start of the battle would be for nothing, and from then on it would be much harder for Rhode to handle them.

"Should we attack, Master?"

Celia followed closely behind Rhode's back and whispered.

Rhode considered for a moment before eventually shaking his head.

"Let us observe first."

As he spoke, he retreated further into the tunnel silently.

With regards to the familiarity of the terrain, Rhode was not in a way any inferior to these mercenaries. He had memorized every path, tunnel and dead end. And after surveying the enemy, he now understood their deployment strategy. The Jade Tear mercenary group split themselves into three groups. Each group consists of five mercenaries. After covering a certain amount of distance, they would report back their status by shouting to their comrades before continuing the search.

This is troublesome.

But Rhode did not consider giving up at all. Giving up was more dangerous than trying. In the underground, he still had the ability to stop these guys. However, if they somehow made it to the surface, chasing and hunting them one after another once they split up is going to a problem. If he let any one of them escape, who knows when will they come back for revenge?

Finishing them off once and for all was the only solution.

But what can I do in this situation?

Rhode knitted his brows as he deliberated for a solution.

Just as he couldn't think of anything, Gillian's voice echoed in his mind.

"Master, I don't think you have to worry too much about these trash. They are just a bunch of walking trash. So why worry? If it was me, I would just fight them and finish them all at once!"

... All at once?

All of a sudden, an idea struck his mind.

Maybe I could try...

Chapter 140: Kill Them!

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Gillian's crude remarks gave Rhode an idea.

An idea that he didn't consider feasible.

That wasn't odd. In previous battles, Rhode acted based on his experience when it was still a game, thus, he subconsciously didn't put much effort to think of new ideas.

He turned his head upwards towards the ceiling of the tunnel and noticed the decaying wooden beams supporting the entire tunnel. It seemed as if it would collapse if someone just shouted at the top of their voice. All the dust and sand leaked out from the earth above.

Previously, in the game, Rhode had never paid attention to these elements before since they were just special effects and ambiance, only being there for the player to immerse themselves in the game. For example, a mouth-savoring fruit couldn't fill the stomach because it was never real, to begin with.

However, now it was different.

And this allowed Rhode to envision an idea he would have never thought of before.

"Celia, I have a plan..." Rhode whispered with a serious expression on his face.

The innocent battle angel didn't know why but it at that moment it seemed as if his deep, black pupils shone with mischief and hope.

"... and that's how we do it. Understood?"

Rhode's explanation of plan wasn't too long-winded. He explained it within a few sentences. Celia wasn't an idiot either, she nodded her head when she caught onto the plan. Although she may be stubborn, her brain wasn't bad. She felt like it was slightly odd because Rhode suddenly came up with a random idea, but does it even matter?

This was nothing compared to the other tasks from Rhode.

"I understand. Master" Celia immediately agreed with Rhode's plan without any objections.

Meanwhile, the mercenaries were anxiously checking their surroundings for sneak attacks.

They followed Frank's plan to scan the tunnels, but after a long time, they couldn't even spot a shadow of the perpetrator. This situation made them keep up their guard 100% of the time and caused them to be slightly irritated with Frank's ambiguous command. Although they listened to him due to many reasons, these mercenaries originally had lazy attitudes. Tolerating it for a while was alright, but forever? No way.

The seeds that Rhode planted finally started to sprout. His plan was starting to bear fruit.

"You gave us a command to find this threat, but we have no idea how many there are, whether they are female or male, human or non-human. How do you expect us to find something we don't even know?" The mercenaries couldn't hold it in any longer and roared at Frank.

Frank frowned.

The man knew that borrowing this "mysterious" power had repercussions. So he knew how his men were feeling. But he didn't care. His men defeating the mysterious enemy? That never crossed his mind at all. He clearly knew the standard of his men. Even though the Jade Tears Mercenary Group seemed to be labeled as a "strong" mercenary group. Mass recruitment had caused unhappiness among his senior mercenaries because they felt that Frank was trying to maintain power by pushing out the old and welcoming the new.

The new recruits were naturally lacking potential, which angered the senior mercenaries even further. The situation was like: when you are used to living in your house, then one fine day, multiple guests barged into the room, smoking, and drinking without manners or qualities, destroying the warmth of the home and leaving a terrible feeling at the end.

As a result, many proper senior mercenaries chose to quit, leaving behind those fresh and green mercenaries. On the record, they have more manpower, but overall less battle strength.

Frank did not stop them from leaving. Rather, he couldn't wait for it to happen. He was very clear that his mission to Deep Stone city wasn't to build up a righteous mercenary group. Those with a high sense of responsibility and ethics were better off somewhere else. After all, his plans were to create chaos in the Paphield Plains, and it wouldn't be successful if he relied on those righteous seniors.

No matter what they fought for, this place was still their homeland, and they wouldn't just stand to one side while all hell breaks loose. Only these new fresh idiots and trash don't give a damn about these things. To them, the most important things were money, beer, and women. Therefore these people were the most suitable to carry out Frank's plan.

This was the main reason why Frank would even bother rallying up these mercenaries to attack the Starlight Mercenary group. If it was any other group, they would definitely be suspicious or even betray the leader. Frank's mercenaries just happily discussed about the beauties in the Starlight Mercenary Group and fantasized about making them their playthings after defeating them. Righteousness and rules? They threw it out the window.

And that was the reason why they were bait. No matter their combat strength, they were still mere baits. As long as the fish takes the bait, what comes after, he would be able to settle it.

No matter how much of these trash died, Frank doesn't a damn — At most he could just replenish them by recruiting.

The mercenaries were totally unaware of how Frank regarded them, but they appeared to have reached their limit.

"Damn it, I quit!" One of them punched the wall heavily and grunted.

"We didn't even find anything after searching for so long! Why the hell are we still here? Are we here to dig gold? I've had enough!"

Every one of the mercenaries kept their silence, as if wordlessly agreeing with him.

At this moment, a white figure flashed.

"Who's there?!"

Despite having bad human qualities, they were still mercenaries after all. Moreover, the white figure was just too darn obvious in the dark and narrow tunnel. They immediately swore as they ran towards the figure while unsheathing their weapons.

They were stunned at what they saw.

In front of them was a floating angelic beauty, expressionless and cold. It was Celia. As an angel, she sensed the filth in their souls. The impurity within them was almost suffocating, thus, Celia would never have a good impression of them.

But this time, Celia held back and didn't strike them down. Instead, she glanced at everyone and spun around, flying off into the distance.

"Chase her!!"

A sudden shout awakened them from their stupor. They raised their weapons in the air and chased the angel. The thunderous sound of them beating their weapons together reverberated along the narrow tunnel, finally venting their anger that they had stored for so long.

The mercenaries weren't afraid of losing sight of Celia. She wasn't flying incredibly fast, and the shining holy aura that emitted from her wings brightened the whole tunnel like a firefly in the night. Moreover, they were getting excited because they realized that the angel was actually flying towards their companions!

Soon enough, another group of mercenaries arrived to the front and blocked the path. Witnessing this, Celia was surprised. She immediately changed direction and flew to another tunnel. The mercenaries, however, weren't in the least bit worried because there were more people waiting for her in that direction as well!

Eventually, the mercenaries managed to trap the angel in the tunnel.

One group closed off her front and the other two groups obstructed her escape from the back. Now, once they created a blockade, they could finally feast their lecherous eyes on the angel. Even if the holy aura surrounding Celia made them slightly uncomfortable, they were still captivated by her beauty. Especially when she was trapped alone, without any room for escape, the mercenaries were compelled to fulfill their sexual desires.

So what if you're a highly regarded angel? Now you're trapped underground with us! Where can you run to?

Heh heh heh. We will let you taste our might after we capture you!

Fantasizing about the pleasures that yet to come, the mercenaries could feel their crotches twitching in eagerness.

If they could force the angel to the ground and rape her, even death would be worth it!

Celia could sense the insidious thoughts of the mercenaries. She frowned and flew into the nearest tunnel she could find.

This time, the mercenaries didn't rush to chase her because they knew that it was a dead end.

This time, you got nowhere to hide, Missy.

The mercenaries smiled lewdly and walked in.

They were right. Soon, they saw the helpless angelic woman at the end of the tunnel.

Although she was in danger now, but her expression did not change at all. She stared coldly at the humans in front of her, her sword in her hands were in position for an attack.

"You can give up now, Missy."

One of them stood in front and laughed cheekily. His greedy eyes were darting up and down, sexually violating this woman in front of him.

"You made us spend so much time to find you... Get over here! Come with us! You wouldn't want us to harm you, right? If you come with us, I can't guarantee you will come out unharmed."

Celia did not reply.

She quietly lifted her head and gazed beyond the crowd and into the other end of the tunnel — Rhode was already creeping in quietly, blocking the exit. He felt Celia's gaze and gave a slight nod.

Rhode raised his sword.

Spiritual energy started rising up from his sword. It gathered quickly at the tip of the blade, forming a shining ball of light. And at this moment, the mercenary at the back felt something was amiss and spun around. However... it was too late.

Rhode swung his sword downwards, smashing it onto the ground.

Bam!

The ball of light had disappeared, but the ground where the sword struck was in chaos. A large, circular imprint appeared on the floor as if a gigantic hammer smashed onto the ground. Spider web-like cracks spread towards all directions, causing the decaying supporting beams to tremble. Finally, it could not withstand the impact any longer, and the earth above came crashing down. Within a few seconds, the whole tunnel was buried under sand and stone. Thick dust and sand filled the air, blinding everyone momentarily.

"What are you doing!!" The mercenary that spotted Rhode bellowed.

He attempted to attack Rhode, but at Rhode already retreated to the back. A huge chunk of mud and rock came crashing down, thoroughly separating them.

"What the hell happened?!"

All the other mercenaries turned around to face this "accident", but what they saw was a cave in.

"Damn it! We are trapped!"

"This was a trap!! Damn that angel..."

The mercenaries turned back to the angel, but Celia was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a hound with flames all over its body took her place and it charged towards them.

"What is this goddamn thing?!"

The mercenaries that stood in the front raised his sword as he struck towards the Black Hound.

When the blades sliced into the Black Hound's body, they felt no resistance at all.

And at the very next moment, a bright red flame erupted...!

Chapter 141: Dancing with the Demons

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The crisp system prompt sounded in his mind.

Standing at the end of the caved-in tunnel, Rhode smiled as he enjoyed the constant prompting of the system and checked how much experience points he gained. These demonized mercenaries brought loads of experience points. Just 15 of them earned Rhode nearly 8000 points.

"So then, only one more left," Rhode mumbled to himself as he turned around.

A blur silhouette of a human figure could be seen walking towards him.

Frank furrowed his brows.

Sharp, agonizing screams echoed in his mind. These were the screams when one would make when they experience death. The death cries of his men kept flowing into his mind one after another as they died.

He stopped in his tracks and rubbed his nose.

Frank had no idea why he rubbed his nose, but after his group of idiots went silent, he suddenly felt tranquility. The hatred, anger, intents, happiness, and even pain seemed to have disappeared.

He lifted his head and met Rhode's gaze at the end of the tunnel. An unfamiliar, yet familiar existence stood in front of him, blocking his way.

"So it's you again, Mr. Rhode?" Frank asked rhetorically, with unnatural calmness in his voice.

Even he was surprised with his own composure. He thought he would be overwhelmed with hate, followed by cursing and words of humiliation when he met the man. But at this moment, Frank realized that he didn't really care anymore. It felt as though as if he was a kid that wanted to play with other kids, but when he was given the chance to play, he turned his back and walked away from it.

Play? What play? What's left to play?

Frank was unsure that if the current state of unnatural tranquility was a reflection of hopelessness and despair. In any case, he felt that he hadn't experienced this feeling in the past 10 years of his life. It was either anger, fear, anxiousness or pain. Comparing to those emotions, this actually felt great.

When there's no hope, there will be no disappointment. When there's no goal, there will not be any effort. When there's no effort, there will be no regrets.

While thinking of this, something deep within Frank's soul started to stir. He couldn't find the will to subdue it any longer.

"Long time no see, or should I say this is only our second meeting?"

Frank shrugged his shoulders and sighed. He replied with a light tone, as if speaking to a friend.

"But you always bring me surprises, right?"

Rhode frowned.

Frank's calm reply took Rhode by surprise. Rhode thought that this man standing in front of him would be more like his usual f*ked up self, teasing women like a hooligan, not accomplishing anything much in life. But instead, Frank was just standing there calmly. Rhode didn't fancy surprises, but he didn't mind Frank's attitude too much.

Inside the gaming world, players who lie and do suspicious things to deter others' judgment were uncommon. Rhode had long cultivated this good habit — As long as he does what he thought was right, what others do doesn't matter to him.

That was why he did not reply Frank. Instead, he drew his sword and returned his gaze. Even without the help of Gillian, he could already sense the strong energy from hell. The demonic energy gradually emitted from Frank's skin pores, forming a turbid vapor that slowly enveloped his body; inciting a nauseating sensation to people nearby.

"I've always been curious."

"Why are you always blocking my path...?" Frank glanced upwards for a moment and questioned, as if speaking to himself, "Actually, I don't really care anymore. You've succeeded again, and I have failed. This time, I've got nowhere to escape."

Rhode lifted up his sword.

"If you have any last words, I might be able to help you pass it."

The Crimson Blade started gleaming.

"There is no need. I have nothing to say to anyone." Frank shook his head.

Suddenly, a deafening silence fell over the entire tunnel.

In an instant, a sharp whistling wind whizzed past.

Rhode let his body drop forward as he transformed into a dark shadow and lunged forward. He then drew up his sword, pointed the tip towards Frank and tilted the blade. Countless of blades erupted from the sword, delivering consecutive flashes towards the target in front.

Responding to his sudden attack, Frank merely unsheathed his weapon and swung it in a clean vertical motion. Darkness exploded out from his sword, forming a shape of a whip which silently and easily swallowed the endless blades.

Tch———!

Rhode switched to a defensive stance and blocked the whip formed by darkness. The whip was extremely flexible, as if it was a snake. The clash between the blade and whip produced a loud screeching shockwave that sent reverberations throughout the tunnel.

The very next moment, Rhode suddenly struck out with his left hand.

A Spirit Bird flew out from his hand, followed by a series whistling as it tore through the air. Frank frowned slightly when he saw this attack. He instantly pulled back his whip, transformed it into a huge net and tossed it out towards the Spirit Bird in one fluid motion.

Frank didn't notice the glowing summoning circle on the back of Rhode's hand.

Just as the net fell upon its prey, the Spirit Bird suddenly disappeared. Instantly, a bright shooting star appeared from within the net and transformed into a sword that released a brilliant ray of holy light. The holy light easily cut through holes in the net, moving towards Frank's heart unhindered.

"Hmph!"

Frank didn't panic when he saw the transformation, instead, he leaped backward and evaded the attack. He then defended himself with both his swords in front of him, barely scraping through. This kind of circus show meant nothing to him. As long as he put in more force, he could easily smack Rhode's sword away. He wondered what other styles could this young man come up with...

Rhode did not expect such light resistance from Frank when they clashed, but he still felt a strong pressure.

A huge shadow suddenly appeared in mid-air. The moment Celia transformed back into her angelic form, she spread her magnificent wings and swung her swords on both hands, striking downwards. Holy silver whitish brightness covered her whole body as she put her entire might in her attack.

A wrong analysis of the situation was the beginning of a tragedy.

Frank totally didn't expect this angel to suddenly appear in front of him. Just as he felt the strong pressure from her and tried to make adjustments, it was too late.

Celia easily broke Frank's guard with her swords. When she was one step away from destroying this detestable being, Rhode rushed towards Frank's flank to assist Celia in finishing him off,

However, they were one step too late.

Facing both Celia and Rhode's sword attacks, Frank's eyes flashed a creepy red light, Afterwards, his whole body violently turned into a dark fog, dodging backward. And once again returned to human form after reaching the corner.

"What a strong assistant you got there."

He lifted his head as he spoke calmly. His face was expressionless as he stared blankly at the two of them.

"To be honest, you surprised me. I have never heard of anyone using an angel to be his servant. Not even those experienced faggots in the mercenary association dared to do so even if they had the chance. But you actually have gotten yourself a beautiful angel woman. You make me envious... but this makes me lose with injustice."

"Master. There's something wrong with him! Don't delay any longer! We must finish him off before he transforms into the second stage!"

Gillian's tone suddenly turned stern, unlike her usual casual self.

Rhode frowned without saying a word. Of course, he wanted to kill him off too, but this narrow tunnel restricted his potential. Not to mention, this whole area was so fragile, even Rhode couldn't use his full power to kill him like the incident in front of the Mercenary Association. And this man was indeed acting strangely. According to Rhode's understanding of him, this man was not diligent enough to see through his plans.

Rhode lifted his sword again and struck forward.

Clink—!

The narrow tunnel could at most allow three people walking in a row. But this situation wasn't just a 2 versus 1. Although Rhode did not summon his spirits, Frank suddenly erupted with darkness power that followed his movements, and with that darkness, he summoned four to five little ugly creatures.

"Imps!"

Celia's expression changed after seeing those little creatures. She ferociously flapped her wings. A white curtain following her wings fell upon them and formed a six-sided barrier, blocking those fireballs that were thrown by the imps who were squeaking like monkeys.

The small fireballs dissipated quickly after hitting the barrier. At this moment the angel fumed.

"You actually received such strong powers from hell? As a human, why did you go to the dark side!"

"Stop your crap, just finish him up. We can slowly question this after we get his corpse!"

As if reacting to Gillian's rage, Rhode struck out again.

The slashing motion of Crimson Blade created a gust of wind.

The blade energy cleaved those imps into half, followed by shots of starlight that passed through their body easily, returning those beings who don't belong to this world back to their homeland. Frank wasn't upset at all, instead, he just smiled. Then he dashed forward with his sword and clashed with the Crimson Blade. Dazzling flashes sparked in between both of them. Facing such an assault, Celia had no choice but to retreat.

But Rhode had other cards up his sleeve. Once again, he raised his left hand and materialized a black card within his palm, forming a small shield that blocked Frank's attack.

Then another huge shadow galloped out of the point of summoning, causing the wind to blast out.

Frank's sword was tossed to a side from the impact of the Centaur Knight's shield. It then continued to charge towards Frank as it used its shield to smash his body. Frank flew a distance and crashed into a wall. Before Frank's body could even fall to the ground, Rhode and Celia's swords had already found its target. It pierced through his body, pinning him to the wall.

"Bam!"

The follow-up attack from the Centaur Knight smashed the man's skull. Fresh blood scattered along with bits of brain matter.

No matter how you look at it, Frank couldn't have survived.

But Rhode and Celia's expression didn't drop their guard a single bit.

"Careful, Master! This guy is going to transform!"

Along with Gillian's warning, Frank's body suddenly turned into dust. The dust then formed a whirlwind that manifested into a human body nearby.

"Do you two really think that I would fall for the same attack twice? How foolish..."

Frank said calmly as ever. But his features were nothing near peaceful. Every inch of muscles began to twitch on their own and his skin started to crack bit by bit like old linen. The insides of his body revealed muscles that were not blood colored, instead, they were pitch black scales. Tubes of blood vessels bulged from under his skin, pumping strong blood and energy. Frank's skull started to swell like a big rubber ball, even his voice turned much deeper.

"But this makes it interesting. If you want to kill me, then try it with all your might."

Transform complete.

His human form was nowhere to be seen. What stood in front of Rhode was a gigantic fly blocking the whole tunnel. It opened its mouth and let out loud hisses. Two disgusting apposition eyes appeared on the sides of his head, emitting green reflections from its lenses. Thick, sturdy black hairs protruded from between the slits of the hard scales. The four front claws had sharp nails and a number of tentacle arms protruded out from the anus.

The putrid smell dispersed all around the underground mine was enough to suffocate a person.

"Demon...!"

Celia started flapping her wings vigorously. Thankfully, due to her strong aura, she wasn't affected by the filthy evil.

"Oh no, seemed like we played it big this time, Master."

Since she was referring to something serious, Gillian's tone didn't sound one bit energetic.

"He had been totally eroded by the demonic hell and is not that idiot from before. This guy here is the real puppet of the Demon Lord. He lost all his compassion... Hah, Master, this man must have hated you so much that he chose to allow the Demon Lord to erode his soul just for revenge — This Boss will not be easy to defeat~"

"Of course I know."

Rhode readied his sword and stared at the abomination that had lost all of its human appearance.

"He is nothing but a puppet — If that's truly the case, we should have a better way of dealing with him."

Rhode took a step back, grabbing his sword with both hands, he twisted his body and dashed past Frank. At the same time he un-summoned his Centaur Knight, to prevent it from being the target of the monster.

"Let's move!"

Rhode's sudden feint stunned Frank. Frank reacted with a high pitch screech and in an instance, a mass of dark fog erupted from his gruesome body, spreading in all directions.

"It's the breath of hell. Master, you'll be in big trouble if you get engulfed by it. That monster can freely change his position. Please do not fight with him, or we will all be dead!"

Rhode noticed the danger within the black fog even without Gillian's reminder. Of course, he knew what Frank had become. If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to face such a monster, but now he seemed to not have any other choice.

Rhode continued dashing into the deep parts of the tunnel without turning back. The black fog was slowly catching up from behind, engulfing the dim light originally on the torches. Celia spread her wings to defend Rhode's back. But her white perfect shield of light wasn't able to deflect much. Although water could extinguish flames, if you pour a bucket of water into a volcano, it would be futile.

"We have to find the ritual altar and destroy the link between hell and this world!"

After hearing Gillian's warning, Rhode immediately changed his direction and jumped into the split road on his right. The dark fog did not stop in time and continued flowing forward. But soon enough, the fog started to branch out as it expanded to fill the other tunnel, but still flowing towards Rhode. Condensed darkness spread on both sides of the tunnel, followed by squeaky sounds which transformed into Imps. They squeaked like mice, chasing closely behind Rhode. They ignited their fireballs and threw towards Rhode but to no avail. Celia easily negated their attacks.

Shing!

The sword blade flashed.

Dazzling silver-whitish brightness flashed and once again defeated those obstacles in front of their eyes. Frank's body emerged within the dark fog. Taking large steps, chasing closely.

"Come on, kill me. Just come and kill me like how you killed them. Quick. Didn't you come here for this?"

Frank's voice was as deep as usual, but was mixed with panic and craziness this time. Facing such an enemy, Rhode had no intention to reply him. He could only try his best to escape from the dark fog attack, and at the same time using the complicated terrain to distance himself away from the monster.

This wasn't an easy feat.

The dark fog could flow into any corner, filling any gap. And Rhode's only way to avoid it was to run faster than it moved. Once he contacts with the fog, not only he will be affected by the hellish energy, Frank would also be able to give a direct attack. The only fortunate thing was, without the help of the dark fog, Frank's transformed body could never ever catch up Rhode's speed.

But this didn't mean that Rhode and company are having a good time. From the start, Rhode and Celia attempted to counter-attack to slow down Frank's speed, but Frank seemed to be invulnerable, no matter how much damage he soaked, it couldn't stop him. Rhode even tried summoning the Black Hound, hoping that it could create some trouble for Frank, but it was of no use.

"This is crazy!"

Once again, Rhode evaded Frank's attack from within the dark fog. Gillian who had been silent, finally snapped.

"This monster is under the effects of the breath of hell, we will not be able to hurt him. It's is as good as invulnerability! We have to cut the connection! Master!"

"How far away are we from the ritual altar?"

"Right ahead!"

Rhode concentrated on the tunnel in front of his eyes and leaped. Under his body, the dark fog washed through like flood waters. Dozens of dark tentacles stretched from within into the air, trying to capture their prey and drag it into the evil quagmire.

Silver-whitish flames erupted and instantly destroyed the tentacles.

"Master, please be careful!"

Celia flew in the air, hugging Rhode tightly from the back as she dashed forward. Both of them fell and rolled on the ground. Then they swiftly sprung up and continued running. Not far behind, a deep banging sound could be heard. Crushed sand started falling from the ceiling, even the ground started to vibrate lightly.

Frank once again appeared at the edge of the dark fog. He expanded his huge mouth, roared and stretched out his forelimb.

At the same time, Rhode finally spotted a strange fountain.

That was his target!

Now's the chance!

"Celia!"

Celia heard Rhode's yell and immediately flew at fast as she could, raising her sword high up above the fountain. And at that moment, the angel's holy, bright and dazzling light shone on the fountain, the surrounding fog and darkness started to rattle in agony. They let out silent screams, and escaped to the corner, avoiding their nemesis.

"No! Stop it!"

Frank could no longer keep his cool and shot out from his protective dark fog. He roared and dashed to the front, attempting to stop Celia.

At this crucial moment, Rhode appeared in front of him. Gritting his teeth, he raised his sword high up.

Brilliant bright light streamed upwards along the sword blade and converged at the tip.

Rhode readied his offensive stance and slashed down with all his might.

Both Rhode and Celia yelled in unison as they delivered their powerful attacks. Celia's sword finally pierced the sculpture on the fountain.

Holy flames erupted and devoured everything!

Chapter 142: Mission Rewards

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The ground trembled.

Cracks spread out from the middle of the fountain and the clear spring water turned turbid and slimy, it even released an incredibly pungent stench. The silver-white flames mercilessly rolled over, quickly cleansing all the filth.

Scorching steam started to emit from the gaps, the escaping air made screeching noises.

Everything had ended.

"Hu..."

Rhode breathed through his mouth and fanned his nose from the stench. The violent trembling began to show signs of stopping, and in front of him, Frank's body had already become a puddle of nasty-looking water.

Once the shaking stopped, the underground mine which seemed to be collapsing, regained its earthly tranquility. Rhode lifted up his head and observed his surroundings, noticing cracks, broken rocks and strewn sand all around the underground mine. The fountain that Celia wrecked was also in pieces.

Then at that moment, a familiar system prompt appeared in front of Rhode once again.

[Mission <<Demon's Whisper>> completed. 8000 EXP gained. 3 Skill Points awarded. Random reward....]

Accompanied by the system prompt, an obscure card immediately appeared in the air and spun slowly in front of Rhode. At first, it resembled the back of a mirror, but slowly it became clearer and clearer and eventually transformed into a pitch-black card, quietly floating in Rhode's eyes.

Is this the random reward?

Rhode frowned as he reached out his hand to grab the card.

The card appeared to be pitch black in the front. Dark aura swirled at the top of the card where a large "iii" text was located at. This represented the status of the card. Instead, Rhode focused on the bottom of the card instead. He spotted two values, 1 and 10. These numbers defined the offensive and defensive ability of the card respectively.

He immediately realized this was a defensive card.

Seems like I'm in luck.

Rhode nodded with satisfaction. His stash of cards lacked a defensive card. In Rhode's collection, the strongest card was of course "Gillian". Both her offense and defense points were more than 20, but Rhode couldn't help but feel disappointed when his ace card had limited summons. As of now, the only defense cards he could afford were Celia and Centaur Knight. However, their defense wasn't very high. They could only withstand average or slightly superior enemies. Against very powerful opponents? They wouldn't be able to last.

A card with an initial 10 points for the defence was considered very good. In the game, a monster's strength was represented by the amount of offense and defense points:

1~4 points — Normal beasts;

5~8 points — Behemoths;

9~12 points — Monsters;

13~16 points — Elites;

17 points & above — Lords

While the initial attributes don't specifically dictate the future potential of the summoned spirit, there are some spirits with high growth potential that had the chance to gain several levels at once when obtaining the same amount EXP. Whereas there are some spirits looked great in the beginning, but after evolution, their growth scaled badly.

In Rhode's deck, other than Gillian, the Star Mark sword current attributes were 9 in offense and 7 in defense. It fully displayed the high growth potential of an angel. As for the Spirit Bird, its growth rate was disappointing. Although it was one of first few spirits that spent the most time with Rhode in this world, both its attributes were just at a measly 4 points, even at level 9. This was solely because of the lack of experience in its future battles. Apart from using its "Shadow Follower" skill which provided a buff that allowed Rhode to fly, it had no other usage.

Comparing to the Spirit Bird, the Black Hold's attributes seemed to be more outstanding. Maybe it was because of Rhode's frequent usage as a bomb during battle. After gaining lots of EXP, it had reached level 16, increasing its original 5 offense and 3 defense points to 7 and 3. The growth in offense points seemed great, but its defense was equally weak. Rhode was satisfied with its low defense, though. Besides, who would use a bomb that wouldn't explode when thrown?

As a new member of Rhode's deck, the Centaur Knight had a minimal increment in its attributes. Currently, it was level 8 and the attributes merely increased to 6 offense and 5 defense points only. Rhode's deck was painfully obvious that it focused mainly towards offense. Despite owning two defense cards, they were still more attack-oriented compared to other purely defensive cards.

The new card had the lowest offense, but its defense was only second to Gillian. 10 defense points meant that it could take more than one full attack from a Death Knight, or even Sereck, without dying. This brought Rhode unimaginable benefits.

Anne did her job well. All the pressure on her considered to be overwhelming. When the Starlight Guild grows bigger, the pressure on Shield Warriors would grow as well. On top of that, this role required talent and experience, not to mention it was the most dangerous job. Rhode couldn't foresee himself meeting another genius Shield Warrior like Anne anytime soon, not to mention she was with a half beast descent, and was unafraid of death.

Compared to Anne, a summoned spirit seemed much more convenient. It could appear and disappear as he wished. Even if the spirit falls in battle, re-summoning wasn't too difficult.

Rhode flipped over the card. Details of this card were clearly written on the back.

[Received Abyss Corps 2/5, Nether Tentacles]

[Nether Tentacles(Dark Element Attributes): Ground-type non-fusion spirit, Skill — Binding (Prey that fall into the trap will be disarmed, unable to retaliate) level 9.

Triggers self-healing if damage received is not over its limit. Recovery characteristic.

Hidden trap in darkness will not be discovered. Shadow characteristic.

Upon approaching prey, certain chance to limit prey's movement. Paralysis characteristic]

[Offence: 1, Defence: 10]

Hmm... Pretty good.

Rhode nodded with satisfaction. He knew these data were merely data. In order to truly understand it, he needed to test it...

Rhode lifted his head and glanced silently at the angel.

"Celia, give this new card a test."

"Yes, Master."

After Rhode's command, Celia nodded her head and drew her sword. She took two steps back and gestured to Rhode. After confirming Celia was ready, Rhode lifted his hand and summoned the Nether Tentacles.

Nothing seemed to happen.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then without any notice, Rhode's shadow suddenly grew longer. If Rhode wasn't in control of his card, then perhaps he would miss this creepy incident.

Seemed like its concealment was indeed good.

"Can you feel it?"

Celia frowned and tilted her head slightly at Rhode's question. She then carefully observed Rhode's surroundings and shook her head lightly.

"I'm sorry, Master. I only can feel something is amiss... but I can't detect the exact location where."

"Excellent."

After hearing Celia's answer, Rhode nodded with satisfaction. "Attack me without mercy."

"Yes."

Celia raised her sword without hesitation and struck towards Rhode. The silver-whitish brilliance burst out from her sword, filling the area with white light...

When Celia's sword was about to hit Rhode, the shadow from beneath his feet immediately extended and formed a semi-circle shaped chasm in front of him. Countless of pitch-black tentacles shot out from within and flew toward Celia, blocking her attack.

The tentacles were as thick as a human arm, about 2 meters long. It created the impression of two huge-like earthworms popping out from the ground. The movement of these tentacles would shock anyone if they weren't prepared.

Despite being slightly surprised by the sudden appearance, she was able to calm herself down quickly and attempted to slash the tentacles apart. The tentacles moved as if it reacted to Celia's attack. Once they locked their sights on her, it split and flew in all directions, rapidly closing towards Celia.

Celia's ability wasn't weak either. Her sword sliced several tentacles apart, but it didn't seem to be effective as new tentacles immediately took its place, it could be said to be as thick as a forest. Because of this, Celia appeared to be struggling slightly against the endless grove of dense tentacles.

Seems like it's working well.

Rhode thought to himself. The Nether Tentacles had strong defenses and there were no problems with blocking attacks. Moreover, with it being 3 meters wide and 2 meters tall in diameter and height, normal attacks wouldn't threaten it much. With Rhode's exquisite control, this "tentacle wall" could cover the length of a basketball court in the least. It could also provide defense within 180 degrees. Based on this "experiment", the tentacles flexibility would give opponents surprising threats...

"Yes! That's the way! Bind her! Strip her off!!" Gillian cheered gleefully with a slight smirk on her face.

This shocked Rhode as he went deep in thought. He subconsciously turned back to the fight and the sight almost gave him a nosebleed.

He was unsure when did Celia manage to get herself caught within the tentacles. Her sword was already on the side. Both of her hands were tied up high with her long, slender legs spread wide apart. The smooth tentacles were slowly slithering up the gaps in her armor and went into her skirt, executing a skillful removal of the maiden's armor. Of course, during this period of time, Celia was struggling to escape as she flapped her wings with all her might. Unfortunately, the tentacles were like a spider web, binding her even tighter when she struggled. Now, almost half of Celia's armor had already been removed, revealing her thin inner clothes that emphasized her curvaceous body. A slight tinge of pink could almost be seen from the front.

Celia blushed with embarrassment. She tried to yell, but could only make muffled sounds as a tentacle shoved itself into her mouth.

"...!!...!!"

The squirming body of the angel maiden gave off the temptation of innocence and lust. Her slim waist and the torn clothes gave everyone a visual feast...

"Yes! Right there, take it down! Use more strength! Just a little more!"

Gillian's fearless goading triggered a reaction from Rhode. He quickly made a hand gesture and those tentacles binding Celia disappeared in an instant, returning to Rhode's shadow. As for the angel maiden who fell hard to the ground, she hastily recovered and grabbed her fallen armor, re-equipping all of them completely.

"I- I'm really sorry, Master, I..."

"No, you did well..."

Rhode paused for a moment, not knowing what to say. So he coughed and decided to change the topic.

"Now that the mission is complete, let's pack up and leave."

"Yes, Master. I'll go now."

Maybe Celia thought her actions were too embarrassing, so she hurriedly but rigorously bowed to Rhode. She then turned around and left quickly. Looking at her back view, Rhode shrugged his shoulders and let out a sigh.

"Such a pity. Just needed that little bit more." Gillian said with genuine disappointment in her voice.

"But Master, this card seemed to be a good choice isn't it?"

"Yes indeed."

Rhode nodded solemnly. "With this card, I can relax a little on my defense."

"Not only that, there's other benefits aren't it? Hehe~" Gillian giggled as she teased Rhode.

For some reason, Rhode felt that Gillian was exceptionally happy.

"Master, don't you feel excited at all? Tentacles are men's fantasy, aren't they~?"